Nasopharyngeal diffuse large B-cells lymphoma causing acute airway obstruction amid COVID-19 crisis: an anaesthetist’s nightmare

• Main Authors: Yeap, Boon Tat, Teah, Ming Kai, Quay, Yen Ju Joanne, Wong, Melvin Teck Fui Wong
• Format: Article
• Language: English; English
• Published: BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2021
• Subjects: R Medicine (General); RB Pathology
• Online Access: https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/27308/1/Nasopharyngeal%20diffuse%20large%20B-cells%20lymphoma%20causing%20acute%20airway%20obstruction%20amid%20COVID-19%20crisis_%20an%20anaesthetist%E2%80%99s%20nightmare%20FULL%20TEXT.pdf; https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/27308/2/Nasopharyngeal%20diffuse%20large%20B-cells%20lymphoma%20causing%20acute%20airway%20obstruction%20amid%20COVID-19%20crisis_%20an%20anaesthetist%E2%80%99s%20nightmare%20ABSTRACT.pdf; https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/27308/; https://casereports.bmj.com/content/bmjcr/14/1/e241008.full.pdf
• Institution: Universiti Malaysia Sabah

Acute stridor is often an airway emergency. We present a valuable experience handling an elderly woman who was initially treated as COVID-19 positive during the pandemic in November 2020. She needed an urgent tracheostomy due to nasopharyngeal (NP) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma causing acute airway obstruction. Fortunately, 1 hour later, her NP swab real-time PCR test result returned as SARS-CoV-2 negative. This interesting article depicts the importance of adequate preparations when handling potentially infectious patients with anticipated difficult airway and the perioperative issues associated with it.